


Radio

by asilverflame



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Adoption, Eventual Fluff, Female Frisk (Undertale), Frisk is a Runaway, Implied/Referenced Drug Addiction, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Sister-Sister Relationship, Undertale Monsters on the Surface, Worried Sans (Undertale)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-30
Updated: 2019-03-07
Packaged: 2019-10-19 08:28:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17597819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asilverflame/pseuds/asilverflame
Summary: Monsters begin their new lives on the surface.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Before people draw parallels. This is completely new and unrelated to other things I have written. (except for a few last names)

Grillby Ignus looked at the human who had walked into his brand new bar and grill on the surface. She was average for a human about 5’6 with long straight brown hair and a tanned complexion. She was dressed professionally in a black skirt and a bright blue blouse which brought out her blue eyes. A pretty girl, he thought, for a human. She came and sat at the bar. 

“My name is Scout Martins, I’ve come to speak to Grillby about tomorrow.”

Scout’s voice was feminine, but husky. A beautiful voice to match her face. The fire elemental smiled at Scout. She was here about a live broadcast she was doing from his bar. Grillby listened to her everyday as he took care of his books in his office in the back. Her new boss was having her go to several of the new monster establishments to help promote business between monsters and humans. He was lucky. He and Mettaton had business rivalries when they had lived in the Underground. Mettaton had decided to bury the hatchet now that they were on the surface and was using his radio and TV stations to promote monster businesses with humans. So far, his plan had been successful. Humans were now frequently mingling with monsters as they got to know each other better. 

Grillby held out his hand to the human. “Welcome. I am Grillby. A pleasure to meet you.” He smiled at her, yet somehow, she was oddly familiar. It was if he had seen her before.

Scout smiled back and took his hand. His hand was pleasantly warm. Grillby’s voice was smoky with a hint of the cackle of fire. A handsome man, to be sure, thought Scout.

“Pleased to meet you,” she responded

“So, Miss Scout, where is your boss?”

“Mett should be here shortly, he had to deal with a small problem at the TV station.”

“This way, I’ll show you were I would like you to set up for tomorrow’s broadcast,” said the living flame. 

Since Grillby had come to the surface just six months ago, he had been surprised with how much humans would pay for his gold coins. Indeed, he had only had to convert about half of his savings into human money to be able to afford not just his new bar and grill, but the entire building. It wasn’t an easy transition though. Humans would only sell property in the roughest and most run down part of town to monsters. Monsters had been busy renovating it into haven for their kind. After he had bought the building it had taken him five months to make his new business ready to open. The rest of the building had been filled with barely habitable apartments. He had cleaned out the troublemakers. The drug dealers, the addicts and had renovated the apartments into new homes for monsterkind. 

Some of the humans were too poor to move. Grillby was a compassionate man though. He simply moved the poor humans into a temporary apartment while he cleaned up and renovated their homes into habitable places again. He refused to charge them a cent more for their homes. Some of the humans were grateful. Some held a weird bigotry and had moved into other parts of town to get away from the monsters. Monsters had moved in and had made the effort to show the humans that they were not evil or bad at all. Simply a different people who were not that much different than them.

Scout had heard good things about Grillby. When Mettaton asked her to do a live broadcast from his bar, she had enthusiastically agreed. She had come to Ebott City about nine months ago when she had learned of her mothers passing. She had gotten a job at the radio station to pay her bills. Her former boss was a cheapskate. He had barely paid her enough to pay rent even in this neighborhood, even though she had the most popular radio show in the lunch rush time slot.

“How do you like working for Mettaton,” asked Grillby.

Mettaton had bought the radio station about six months ago. Mett liked her show, ratings and offered her double the pay if she stayed with him. Mett was odd. He was a consummate perfectionist and demanded nothing less than that from his employees. He had a vile temper when he got less than perfection from them. Still, Scout understood what he wanted and had never run afoul of him. When he changed some of their line up to match monster tastes and run his pro-monster views, Scout went along with him. All the monsters she had met were decent people. Better than many of the humans. She thought the program director, Napstablook, was sweet if a bit shy. Mettaton liked seeing them laugh and share music together. Blooky needed friends.

“He’s a lot better than my last boss, that’s for sure,” answered Scout.

“Good. I’m glad to hear he is doing good by his employees,” said Grillby. “This is my dance floor.”

Grillby’s new bar had three times the space of his old bar, so he was able to add things he had wanted such as a dance floor and a bank of billiard tables. Business was booming among monsters, but this promotional broadcast was meant to attract humans to his establishment as well. It was to show how monsters had been cleaning up what had been a bad neighborhood and invite them to get to know monsters. Mettaton had given him a choice of a live TV broadcast, or host a radio broadcast. Grillby elected the radio broadcast, if he could have The Scout (as Scout called herself on the radio) host it. 

Scout inspected the rather large dance floor. She could see where her crew could get set up for the broadcast. She smiled at Grillby.

“We can set up here and still leave plenty of room and the sound should carry over into the streets if you wish,” She gestured to a corner closer to the bar.

Grillby nodded at Scout. It sounded good to him. Monsters didn’t care much for too loud music. Humans did, though. And it was their business he wanted to attract so they reached a compromise on music volume. They discussed what kind of music and how long Scout was to be there. Grillby lead Scout to a booth close to the billiard tables. 

“Are you hungry? You look like you haven’t eaten in a week,” Grillby asked. 

Scout laughed, “Oh, I’ve eaten plenty, but I have a fast metabolism so I look skinnier than I should. However, I haven’t eaten since this morning, so I will take you up on that meal.”

Grillby handed her a menu. He studied her as she examined it. He still had a nagging feeling that she looked familiar to him. He couldn’t place where he could have possibly seen her before, though.

“The chicken and vegetables looks delicious,” she said to Grillby. 

“And to drink?”

“A gin and tonic,” Scout replied. 

He nodded to her and went to fix her meal and drink. He prepared for her the chicken and vegetables in a light creamy sauce. As it cooked, he brought her a gin and tonic from the bar. When he brought it to her, she looked up and smiled at him. He saw that she was wearing contact lenses. He smiled.

“Ah, a fellow glasses wearer,” he said. 

Scout blushed slightly, “Yeah, I’m pretty blind without corrective lenses. I prefer contacts though.”

Grillby adjusted his glasses, “Are you near or far sighted?”

“Near-sighted with astigmatism, I’m afraid I’ll be stuck in glasses or contacts forever.”

“I’m surprised you can wear contacts with astigmatism.”

“I can if I use hard contacts. Soft contacts leave a slight blur because of it. Hard contacts give clarity,”

“Let me get your meal,” Grillby smiled at her. 

Scout smiled back. Like all the other monsters she had met Grillby was a good guy. She squeezed the lime wedge into her drink and took a slow sip. Gin wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea but she always liked its slight bitterness. Other types of alcohol struck her as being too harsh. Scout began to relax. She heard the ring of a bell as a new customer walked in. Looking up she saw her boss, Mettaton. 

“Ah! There you are, darling. Have you spoken to Grillby yet?” Mettaton walked briskly to Scout.

“Yes, I have, Mett.”

“Tell me, how shall you set up.”

Scout walked with Mettaton to the dance floor and showed him she planned to set up for the live broadcast. He was nodding the entire time in approval. 

“You do a good job on this, Scout, and you’ll be up for a bonus.”

Scout looked at surprise at her boss, it always struck her as odd when he talked about and gave her bonuses. The old owner and manager was a skinflint. No matter how hard she worked for him, she saw a paltry pay. Mettaton wasn’t always the easiest boss to work for, but he at least appreciated her hard work. She wondered if he was paying her so she would not leave to go to another market. Still, Mett’s star was also on the rise. Some of his TV shows were starting to be syndicated on human stations. Some humans in Ebott City were tired of the constant political wrangling on regular TV had switched to Mett’s station for its lack of politics. While he may star mostly monsters, his shows were always fun to watch and hopeful, rather than bleak. Monster’s themselves had a lot to hope for. 

That was why Scout liked working for Mettaton. When she decided she was sick of snow and cold, he laughed when she broadcasted three hours of nothing but surf music. He said he could feel summer over the airwaves. The people of Ebott City had impromptu beach parties at work all week, just to add some sunshine to the cold of winter. Life was improving and it showed.

Mettaton joined Scout at her table. Grillby returned with Scout’s meal. 

“Grillby, darling. I take it that everything has your approval?”

Grillby placed the chicken dish in front of Scout and answered Mett. 

“Everything looks great for tomorrow, Mettaton,” he replied simply. “Thank you.”

Grillby smiled at Mettaton and added more warmth to his smile at Scout. “I’ll be back. Enjoy.”

“As always, a man of few words,” sighed Mettaton.

As Scout began to eat, she and Mett talked at length about the broadcast the next day and the programming for the following week. Mett told her his plan to have a camera crew come in the next day and film a spot for Sunday’s morning show. He wanted to talk about how much monsters had cleaned up the area and how good prospects were in that part of town. Scout nodded and added her opinions. Mettaton suddenly stood up. 

“Well, darling it’s back to the studio for me. I’ll see you tomorrow at the office.”

Scout stood up and kissed Mett on the cheek.

“See you tomorrow, Mett.”

After Mettaton left, Grillby came to check on Scout.

“How was your meal?”

“It was delicious, thank you.”

“One more drink?”

“I’m afraid I have to go, but if I can have my check, I’ll pay and get out of your hair.”

Some human phrases seemed odd to Grillby, and that was one, seeing he didn’t have hair to speak of.

“On the house, as a thank you for coming and promoting us tomorrow,” Grillby smiled at Scout.

They shook hands professionally as they smiled at one another. Scout decided she needed to come again. Grillby’s was a warm and friendly place. Much like the man who owned it.

Scout heard the bell ring and another customer walked in. This time a short skeleton wearing a blue hoodie walked in. He went and sat at the bar. Scout stood up to leave. Oddly, the skeleton was watching her carefully as she left. She smiled at him brightly and proceeded to leave. His eyes followed her as she left.


	2. Is That You?

Grillby went to the bar and pulled out a bottle of ketchup. He placed it in front of the skeleton.

“who was that Grillbz?”

“That’s the radio host who is doing the broadcast tomorrow.”

“she looks familiar for some reason.”

“Funny, I thought the same thing, Sans” said Grillby.

Sans didn’t reply. He focused on drinking his ketchup. He would figure it out.

“Waiting for Frisk?” asked Grillby.

“Yup, she needs to go get her new glasses today.”

“How is her adoption coming along?”

“good. The courts will finalize everything in a week.”

The bell at the door rang. A girl about thirteen walked in. She had wavy brown hair and a tanned complexion. She was wearing a pair of glasses that had been snapped at the bridge when they fell off during a practice with Undyne. She was dressed in a blue collared shirt and khaki pants that was her school uniform. Grillby stared hard at Frisk, who froze at his scrutiny. Sans, wondering what Grillbz was staring at, also took a long look at Frisk. 

“If she was younger, you might think they were twins,” Sans murmured.

“Almost.”

Frisk did a quick check behind her to see if there was someone else there.

“What’s with all the staring, you two?” Frisk asked. 

“Sorry, Frisk. We had just seen someone who looked like an older version of you,” Grillby apologized.

“Well, being that any family relations I may have don’t live here, I guess they can’t be related to me.”

Sans piped up, “what relations?”

 

Scout went quickly from Grillby’s to the private detective’s office. Scout had come from Seattle to Ebott City when she had found out her mother had died. She had not seen or spoken to her mother in eight years. Her father had taken her from Ebott City at the age of seventeen to Seattle, because of all the drugs and alcohol her mother had been into. After learning of her mothers death of cirrhosis of the liver, she had come to see if she could take her little sister, Frisk, with her back to Seattle.

No one had been able to find her. It seemed like Frisk had vanished off the face of the earth. Child Services swore up and down that Frisk had not been placed into their care at anytime in the past year. It was a difficult pill to swallow. She had gone to the detective to see if he could at least try to find out if she was dead or alive. So far, it was just a waste of money. That was what brought her here today, to fire the detective. Scout was about to give up hope of ever finding her baby sister.

 

“Well, I have a half sister somewhere.” Frisk answered Sans. “I did report it as we have gone through the adoption proceedings, but no one has been able to locate her.”

“What’s her name,” asked Grillby.

“Scout. I haven’t seen her since I was four or five so I can’t remember her last name.”

Grillby’s eyes intensified, “Does the name Scout Martins ring a bell?”

Frisk stared at Grillby, “Yeah, now that you mention it, her last name is Martins. How did you know?”

“She just left here on a business related matter no more than five minutes before you walked in. She had looked awfully familiar, for some reason. When you walked in I realized she looks just like you, except she is an adult with blue eyes and straight hair.”

Frisk looked at Grillby flabbergasted. The blue eyes and straight hair was the clinching identifier. She remembered Scout’s intense blue eyes and straight hair.

“We need to call Tori,” said Sans. 

“We also need to call Mettaton,” said Grillby.

“Stay here, Frisk,” they said in unison as they called both Toriel, Frisk’s adoptive mother, and Mettaton.

Grillby picked up his cell phone and immediately dialed Mettaton.

“Hello, darling. What can I do for you,” purred Mettaton.

“Do you have Scout’s phone number? She left something here at the bar.”

“Of course,” Mettaton rattled off Scout’s phone number. Grillby quickly jotted it down.

At the other end of the bar, Sans called Toriel.

“Hello, Sans. How are things with Frisk?”

“Listen, Tori. Can you come to Grillby’s as soon as possible?”

“Is something wrong with Frisk?”

“No, not wrong. But something has come up that needs your attention.”

“I’ll be there in a half hour.”

 

Grillby dialed Scout’s number.

“Hello?” her voice wary.

“Hello, this is Grillby. You left something here at the bar. Could you come pick it up right away?”

Her voice was surprised. “I thought I had all my things, but I’ll be there in a little while. I’m at a meeting right now, so I can be there in a half hour.” 

“That’s fine,” replied Grillby warmly. 

 

Frisk was sure that both Grillby and Sans had to be mistaken. What where the odds that her half sister, who had no contact with their mother since she moved in with her father, was here in Ebott City. It didn’t make any sense. When her mother had died almost a year ago, she had stumbled around Mt Ebott in confused grief. She had taken a bad trip and had fallen into the Ruins and into a brand new life at that moment. Frisk had been in all the papers for a month or two at that time, but had retreated from publicity as Toriel took up negotiations for monsters to return to the surface. She had not been in the papers or willingly put in the public eye since then. Toriel had been concerned about Frisk’s safety. If it really was her sister, why had she not come forward when Frisk was a daily sight in the papers and the internet. Still, the description and Grillby’s knowing Scout’s correct last name made her unsettled. Perhaps it could be her long lost sister.

 

Toriel arrived at Grillby’s in fifteen minutes rather than a half-hour.

“Gentlemen, what could be so pressing to call me out of a meeting?”

“Did Frisk ever tell you she had a sister?” asked Sans. 

“Yes, she did. She even mentioned it to the court as we have gone through the adoption process. No one has been able to find her, though.”

“We think we may have stumbled into her,” said Grillby.

Toriel stared at the fire monster in shock. She sat down.

“How?”

Grillby explained about meeting Scout, her broadcast the next day at the bar, her resemblance to Frisk, and Frisk confirming her first and last name.

Toriel’s eyes filled with tears. She hoped that they were wrong. She did not want someone to take away another child from her. That would be cruel. All she wanted was to be Frisk’s mother. Finding out that Frisk may have an adult blood relation that could stop her adoption of Frisk was hard. Her mind began to relive losing her son and daughter again. She wanted to go to their graves again.

The doorbell rang again. A human female walked in. She stood and stared at Frisk and her eyes filled with tears.

“Frisk? Is that you Frisky?” her voice was soft and uncertain.

Frisk stared at the human. She was now an adult, but there was no mistaking her intense blue eyes and straight hair. This was her older sister, Scout.

“Scout?” Frisk’s voice was just as uncertain.


	3. Reunion

Toriel’s eyes clouded with grief as the human woman correctly identified Frisk.

Grillby and Sans looked at all three of the women here. The resemblance was unmistakable with them in the same room.

“FRISK!!” Scout held out her arms for her little sister.

“SCOUT!!” as Frisk ran to her older sisters outstretched arms. They embraced fiercely. They cried for several more minutes. Grillby sneaked out to prepare the backroom. Frisk broke the embrace first.

“Scout, let me introduce you to someone,” said Frisk. “Scout, this is her Majesty Toriel Dreemur. She has been in the process of adopting me for the past year when no one could find you.”

Scout wiped the tears from her eyes and looked at Toriel. She could see Toriel’s fear of her taking Frisk away from her.

“I’m Scout Martins, I am Frisk’s older sister,” she held out her hand in greeting to Toriel.

Toriel studied Scout. The more she saw, the more she liked Scout. Maybe an arrangement could be worked out.

Grillby came back as Scout introduced herself to Toriel. Toriel’s fear of someone taking Frisk away from her was plain. Someone should explain to Scout about Tori and Frisk later.

“Ladies, I have opened up a backroom if you want to talk privately,” he said softly. All three of them gave him a near identical look of gratitude. It would be better if they talked in private.

Grillby lead Scout, Frisk, Toriel, and Sans to the backroom. He had asked his new assistant manager to watch the main bar and grill, while he took care of the special group. Right now, he would ensure that tempers didn’t flare and that rash decisions about Frisk were not made. He was sure that this new development would take time to straighten out. Frisk needed Scout’s story as much as Scout needed Frisk and Tori’s.

“Where have you been,” asked Scout. “I have been searching for you for the past nine months.”

“I could ask you the same question,” replied Frisk wryly.

“I’ve been here. I came here as soon as I learned of our mother’s death. Child Services swore up and down that you had never been placed in their care.”

“I wasn’t in Child Service’s custody. Didn’t you see me in the newspapers about a year ago when I brought the monsters from the Underground?”

“No. I was in England at the time working as an intern at a British radio station. I had heard about monsters leaving the Underground, but no details about who lead them out of the Underground. I had just come back from the UK when I heard about Mom’s death. I came as soon as I had heard about it. I’ve been looking for you ever since.”

Understanding flooded Toriel’s face. “That was after I stopped letting Frisk do interviews. I was afraid someone might try to hurt Frisk. I didn’t know that a blood relation might be looking for her. You know how some humans have had problems accepting us. Frisk had received a few threats. I felt they were serious enough not to allow her out in the public eye. I had my attorneys refuse any sort of outside contact as a precaution.”

Understanding filled Scout’s face. She had seen some of the odd bigotry. That was part of why she helped Mettaton in his quest to get humans to understand monsters.

Toriel looked at Scout with nervous eyes. She hoped that Scout would not take Frisk away from her. A clock rang out six o’clock. It was getting late.

“Ladies, why don’t we talk more about this over the weekend in New Home,” suggested Sans. “We all have a lot to talk about and there is no easy or fast answer to what is going on. Since no one could find you, Scout, Toriel has been going through with adoption proceedings for Frisk. We need to work all that out. Something that is fair to everyone.”

“I’m not free this weekend,” said Scout.

“A suggestion,” said Grillby. “Talk to Mettaton. If he is aware of what is going on and that you are going to New Home to talk to Toriel and Frisk, I’m sure he will give you time off.”

“He will, if I insist on it,” said Toriel. “Especially if he knows this will go a long way to getting back in my good graces.” Unknown to Scout was that Toriel was still angry at Mettaton for trying to kill Frisk on live TV. Mettaton had been unable to find a way back into her good side. It was part of why he was one of the first monsters to leave the Underground for the surface.

Toriel picked up her cell phone and dialed Mett. Scout was glad it wasn’t her.

“Mettaton? This is Toriel. I must insist you come to Grillby’s as soon as possible.”

There was the hint of steel in Toriel’s voice. Scout knew she would hear no argument out of Mettaton. The command in her voice was unmistakable. She wasn’t asking. This was a command from Mettaton’s Queen.

“He will be here in five minutes,” said Toriel confidently. “Sans, why don’t you go take Frisk to get her glasses while I deal with this.”

The skeleton nodded. He held out his hand for Frisk to follow him. Frisk looked nervously at both Toriel and Scout, but followed Sans.

Toriel looked at Scout. “Tell me, what are your intentions for Frisk.”

“I had thought I would take her home with me to Seattle. Now that I have seen what has happened, and what she is doing, I don’t know anymore.”

Toriel nodded. Scout seemed liked a nice young woman. It might be easier to come to an understanding with her than she thought.

“Excuse me, ladies. I’ll keep an eye out for Mettaton,” said Grillby. Toriel nodded.

 

Mettaton had been overseeing the short news broadcast when Toriel called him. It irked him when he heard the command from his queen. Still, he had been looking for an opportunity to appease his queen. He wanted her to come on his TV station and explain to his viewers what was happening on the surface and help get more of her peaceful intentions out in the public. He left the broadcast in the hands of his best assistant. The sooner he saw Toriel, the sooner he could come back.

 

Grillby was waiting when Mettaton arrived. Grillby gestured for Mettaton to follow.

Mettaton paused after Grillby lead him to the back.

“Please, Grillby, can I get a hint on what’s going on?”

“Did you know Scout had a missing sister?”

“She had talked about it some, but not a lot. It’s a painful subject for her, so I let it go. She had hired a detective and everything to try to find her with no luck.”

“Would you believe me if I told you that Frisk is Scout’s missing sister?”

Mettaton stared at Grillby in shock. Then a thoughtful look. “Now that I think about it they do look a lot alike. Is that what this is about? If I knew about Scout and Frisk? I swear, I didn’t. Scout never even mentioned her name to me. If I had known, I would have told both her and Frisk. Scout has shed more than a few tears over the unknown status of her sister. There is a lot I would have done to spare her that pain.” 

Grillby believed Mettaton. Mettaton’s eyes were dead serious. He had changed a lot since coming to the surface. He was no longer hellbent on being a star. He wanted to help as many as he could. Ironically, that was what was allowing his star to rise.

“I believe you. Now you need to convince Tori.”

Grillby opened the door to his backroom. 

“Scout, darling, what’s this I hear about your sister?” Mettaton immediately went to Scout. 

Between Scout and Toriel, they explained what was going on to Mett. He was quite and listened to everything they had to say.

“Mett,” said Scout nervously. “I need a week off starting Monday. Toriel wants me to go to New Home and talk about Frisk.”

“Everything is a mess now, isn’t it? I will give you as much time as you need. Let me give you a note. Give it to Pinkie at the front desk of my resort in Hotland. It will let her know to give you a room there for as long as you require it. I don’t ordinarily hand out room keys, but I’m also telling her to make an exception for you. Now about tomorrow’s broadcast...”

“It will go on as planned,” cut in Scout. “That and the Sunday morning TV interview. This way I don’t put you and Grillby in a lurch since we have been promoting this for two weeks.”

Both Mettaton and Grillby looked surprised and gratified. Toriel smiled. Scout was also responsible.

“And for now, as far as Frisk goes?” Grillby asked delicately.

“She stays with Toriel. I’m not ready to have her at my home for more than a few hours yet. This is all such a shock. I had been prepared for the worst news, not the best.”

Toriel’s eyes filled with tears. Grillby nodded approvingly. Mett gave Scout a hug. “It will all work out, my dear,” he whispered. “Take as much time as you need to after Sunday. It won’t easy.” Mettaton gave Scout a kiss on the cheek. He wrote a note and handed it to Scout. “Don’t forget to give this to Pinkie. I’ll see you tomorrow, darling,”


	4. Par for the Course

At that Mettaton left. Toriel stood up. 

“I’ll go catch up with Sans and Frisk. I’ll instruct Sans to meet you here at nine in the morning on Monday.

Scout nodded wordlessly. Toriel smiled at Scout and left.

Scout rubbed her temples and ran her hair through her hands.

“It’s the right decision,” Grillby said softly.

Scout looked up at the handsome fire elemental. She smiled faintly.

“You think so?”

“I know so. Frisk said you have not seen her in years. You, at this point, are pretty much strangers to each other. This will give you both the chance to get to know both Frisk and Toriel. Tori is a good woman. Better than her ex-husband deserved. Many of us monsters are glad she is once again securing our future. You need to hear more of Frisk and Tori’s story before any decisions are made. My only advice is to think about Frisk before you make such decisions.”

“It’s just after nine months of worrying and being prepared for the worst, I’m in shock to find her alive and well.”

Grillby mixed Scout a gin and tonic and placed it in front of her. “Do you want to talk? I’m a good listener. I won’t tell anyone what you tell me.”

“The bar side psychologist, huh. It’s all par for the course of being a bartender.”

“Par for the course?” This was another odd human saying that confused Grillby.

“It means it’s all part of the job,” smiled Scout.

Grillby smiled, “Yes, it is. Everyone needs someone to listen to them. Sometimes people will only talk when they are drunk. My job isn’t just about cooking or serving drinks, it’s also about listening when people need me to. Right now, you look like you need someone to listen to you. To that end, I am here to listen to you.”

“I don’t know where to begin.”

“Fair enough. I will start by asking you questions. All I ask is that you are honest with me. We will go on from there.”

Scout took the lime wedge and squeezed it into her drink and took a long sip. Grillby took that as signal to begin.

“Frisk said you are half sisters, is that correct?”

“Yes, we have the same mother, but my father divorced our mother when I was ten. I found out later that my mother was having an affair with Frisk’s father. Frisk was born a couple of years later.”

“What happened to Frisk’s father,” asked Grillby.

“From what I understand, he liked having his affairs, but didn’t want to be tied down to a wife and child. He left our mother only a couple of months after Frisk was born.”

“That’s rough.”

“It was for my mother and Frisk. My mother left my father, who is a lawyer, for a man who liked her only for her supposed money. The divorce left her with nothing. My father paid her alimony only until Frisk was born. After that, she decided to drown her sorrows in alcohol. She even began doing some pretty hard drugs while trying to care for Frisk.” 

“My father, seeing the drugs and alcohol, sued for and won my custody. I was fourteen. Still, he allowed for supervised visits to my mother and sister. Seeing her do okay for a few years, he allowed me to go for the weekend when I was seventeen. She overdosed on the first night with both myself and Frisk in the apartment. After getting a call from CPS, my father refused to let me go or even see my mother or Frisk. Even as an adult, I didn’t contact my mother. That was eight years ago. I’m now twenty-five and seeing my sister for the first time in eight years.” Scout’s voice was sad. She took another slow sip of the drink.

“You must have hated your mother,” Grillby said softly.

Scout shook her head, “Believe it or not, I never hated her. I was hurt badly when my parents divorced. My father said he should have paid more attention to our family instead his work. He always said she might not have started her affair if he was home more. He really did try to let me keep contact with my mother, but I was also a hurt and confused kid. I never understood why my mother had her affairs at the time. Having grown up, I realized she must have been terribly lonely. The alcohol and drugs were her way of numbing the pain. She just didn’t know when to stop anymore. When she died, her liver was shot. When I saw her toxicity report she had also accidentally overdosed. A poisoned dose of heroin mixed with Fentanyl. Quite lethal.”

“And Frisk?”

“That I don’t know. Apparently our mother had been dead three months before anyone had found her body. I was notified as next of kin when they found her. Frisk had disappeared. No one knew where Frisk was until today. You would need Frisk’s story to put the pieces together.”

“Frisk said she told the court about you while she has been going through the adoption process. I wonder why they never found your search for her.”

“My guess the courts where looking at current CPS cases, not a missing persons case. Not that they took my search for Frisk seriously.”

“Why wouldn’t they?” asked Grillby.

“Because it sounds crazy. Where could a child whose mother has been dead for three months possibly go?” replied Scout.

“The Underground,” understanding flooding Grillby’s face.

Scout’s face also filled with understanding. Then a new question filled her face.

“Here comes my question then, Grillby. Why didn’t Frisk notify the authorities about our mother?”

“That’s another question you need to ask Frisk,” replied Grillby. “I would suggest taking it easy on her, though. She really is just a child. She may not have had the ability to express the horror of seeing her dead mother. When Tori started to care for her she might have forced it out of her mind to keep her sanity.”

The door to the backroom opened. This time it was Sans. Grillby realized that he had not properly introduced Scout to Sans.

“I just realized I haven’t properly introduced the two of you,” said Grillby. “Scout, this is Sans Serif. He has been both guard and mentor to Frisk for the past year. Sans, this is Scout Martins. She is a radio DJ and is doing the broadcast to promote my new bar tomorrow. She also does some TV work for Mettaton occasionally.”

“The Scout on station 101.3, correct?” asked Sans.

Scout smiled, “Yes, that’s the handle I use on the air.”

“Grillbz here is a big fan of yours. He listens to your broadcasts daily.”

There was a sudden tinge of blue to Grillby’s flames. Scout could tell he was blushing. He looked cute blushing.

Scout’s smile became sly. “How would you know, unless you are also listening right along with Grillby.”

Sans chuckled. “I’ll admit it. I’m a fan too. You know your stuff when it comes to music. You have taught us both quite a bit about human culture and music with your broadcasts.”

“Can I ask you something?” asked Scout.

“Sure, pal.”

“Why are you named after a typeface?”

“Have you been to the Underground at all?”

“Once. I had gone to Mett’s other station to deliver some tapes a few months ago.”

“Have you experience a part of our speech in the Underground? Not only hearing words, but seeing them in your mind’s eye?”

“Yes. It was strange at first, but I got used to it after a while.”

“Skeletons take their names after the typefaces you see in the Underground. It’s like our voice.”

“Strange, Sans Serif is a very broad category of typefaces.”

“I go by my middle name, my true first name is Comic. My typeface is also an indicator of my personality. Serif is my family name.”

Scout studied Sans. He wasn’t only a comic though. There was a tinge of sadness about him too. Comics, in her experience, also tended to have crushing depression. Comics liked to hide their pain in their smiles. Look at how many of the best comedians committed suicide. 

Sans looked at Scout in surprise. Her gaze was penetrating. As penetrating as his own. He knew that while he was telling her the truth, she could also see what he tried to hide. He wondered if she could use magic. He had gotten a few hints from Frisk. Perhaps Scout was the same. There was more to her than the eye could see.

“So Scout, how did you become a radio DJ?” Grillby cut in, changing the subject.

Scout smiled at Grillby. “I started my sophomore year in college. I was always a fan of radio, so I took a beginner’s course as an elective. In addition to our classes, we would have a one hour live broadcast weekly. I loved it. I changed my major to Communications. As I studied radio I also learned about TV and film media. I prefer the radio, though. When Mett bought out the station, he asked me to also do the occasional TV spot, since I also trained in TV.”

“That brings up another question,” said Grillby. “What time will you be here tomorrow?”

“My regular broadcast ends a two. I should be here about three to get set up before people start to crowd in. The broadcast is from eight till midnight, but I will DJ until close. Blooky and Mett will also be here to promote the station itself. I think Mett will want to record some of the broadcast for the Sunday interview. Saturday I will edit the tape and get everything ready for Sunday. On Sunday we go on air at ten, but you will need to be there by eight, Grillby. That way I can get the right backgrounds and lighting for the show. If my makeup looks weird, it’s because it’s for television. Makeup for TV and stage is a lot heavier for accommodate for the lighting. It looks much different on TV than in real life. I will give you my question list on Saturday as well, so there are no surprises on Sunday.”

“That’s a skele-ton of work,” commented Sans.

Scout smiled, “It is, but I love it.”


	5. Dad

Scout’s phone began to ring. She had one of those announcement ringtones that was singing about her father. She smiled apologetically.

“Hey Dad,” she answered.

“Okay...”

“Listen, right now isn’t a good time for me, Dad. Can I call you back in an hour?”

“I won’t, Dad. I’ll call you back in an hour. Bye.” Scout hung up.

Scout smiled at both Grillby and Sans. 

“I have to go. I’ll be here around 3 tomorrow.”

“Do you want me to call you a cab,” asked Grillby.

“Nah, I live three blocks away on Third Avenue.”

“The Dowd building?”

“Yes.”

“That’s still a pretty rough block,” commented Sans.

“I moved in before Mett took over the radio station. My old boss was such a tightwad it was about the only place I could afford the rent in. Still, while it’s still not the best neighborhood, it’s getting better. Monster have been buying out all those buildings. I am hoping someone will buy out mine soon and clean up the building. I am tired of seeing police around almost everyday,” Scout sighed. 

“Can I at least walk you home,” offered Grillby. “As Sans mentioned, it’s still a rough block.”

Scout smiled at Grillby, “Sure. I just didn’t want to trouble you for so long.”

Grillby smiled back. What Scout didn’t know yet and wouldn’t for a couple of weeks was that he was in escrow buying out the old Dowd building. She and the other tenants would learn once escrow was cleared and he held the first tenants meeting.

Grillby came from behind the bar and stood next to Scout. Sans left the backroom to wait for Grillby in the main bar. He silently watched them as they exited the building.

Scout and Grillby chatted as he walked her to her building. They both talked about they could tell that her building had once been beautiful. 1920’s art deco style. The past fifty years had not been kind as industry had moved in and turned an older neighborhood into cheap housing. As they walked they saw a few Royal Guardsmen out and about working with local police as monsters had been moving into this part of town. Quite a few of them nodded at Grillby. As they approached her building the more squalid the buildings were. Still, there were still Guardsmen in their heavier armor and police patrolling the block, letting criminals know their presence was not welcome. Six months ago, Scout would have jumped at Grillby’s offer for a short cab ride directly to her home. Now, as she saw more and more of a police presence, it was much safer for the short walk.

One of the more recent changes had been the addition of a night guard in front of the Dowd building. The guard nodded at Scout with a smile and gave a faint salute to Grillby. She smiled at Grillby and thanked him for walking her home.

Grillby picked up her hand and kissed her on her knuckles. “Goodnight, my lady. I am looking forward to seeing you at three tomorrow.”

Scout blushed, “Goodnight.”

At that Scout quickly retreated into the building. She hurried into her apartment. Sometimes, she got caught off guard by some of the courtly behavior of monsters. It was a reminder that they came from a kingdom. It was something anachronistic that was sweet and tended to put humans off their guard. She looked out her window. Grillby was talking to the new night guard. She wondered if they knew each other. She shrugged, she needed to call her father back.

“Hello?” came her father voice.

“Hi Dad,” answered Scout. 

“How is my favorite ham tonight?” The joke was a play on both Scout’s job on the radio and also her name. She was named after the girl in To Kill a Mockingbird. The Scout in the book had been dressed up as a ham for a school play. Her father always called her his favorite ham.

“Dad, what if I told you that I found Frisk?”

“I would be there tomorrow, ready to sue the pants out of Child Protective Services for losing her.”

“And if I told you she really was never in their care?”

“Well, Ham, then we have quite a bit to discuss, don’t we? I take it this isn’t hypothetical, is it?”

“No. It isn’t. Actually, it’s more like the people who had been caring for Frisk found me. That damn PI was useless. Things have become complicated because it looks like Frisk is being adopted.”

“I can be there tomorrow, Scout. You need someone to protect your interests. Frisk is still your sister. You still have rights.” David Martins voice became dead serious. As an attorney, he knew that as next of kin, the court would need Scout to sign away her rights before Frisk could be adopted. He also knew that Scout had worried over her little sister over the years. The separation had not been easy on her. David even knew that Scout had been beating herself up over her mother’s horrible death, even though Diane had slowly killed herself with with drugs and alcohol.

Scout had been angry with him for at least the first year after he had taken her away from her mother and sister. Still, over time Scout realized he really did have her best interests at heart. He did not want her to live among drunks and druggies. It hurt him as badly as it hurt her. In spite of it all, he still really loved his first wife. It was a shame they had divorced. As the years went by he had remarried, but his second wife placed no blame on him as he grieved over Diane. When they had married, Diane had been a hellfire. When they divorced, she had become wreck. When she died, her fire had been snuffed out. It was sad to see how she had changed over the years. 

Scout was in some ways like her mother. In other ways he had molded her as she became an adult. Scout wasn’t as determined as Diane. Scout had grown into a unique integrity. Headstrong, but with a deep sense of honor.

Scout’s voice was tired, “How about Sunday afternoon, Dad. I am working until then. I have been invited to where Frisk is currently living to work things out on Monday. I can explain what I have learned when you get here.”

“Okay, I’ll call back later with a flight and arrival time. Be careful until then. Don’t discuss or negotiate anything until I get there.”

“I’ll be careful, Dad.”

“Good girl. I’ll see you Sunday.”

With that, David Martins hung up. Scout stared at her phone for a moment. She needed to get some rest. She had to be up by seven to be at work by eight to get everything ready for the next day.

Scout took a brief shower and changed into her pajamas. She was tired but knew she would not be able to sleep until midnight at the earliest.


	6. The Grave

Frisk had gone home with Toriel after picking up her new pair of glasses. It had been such a surprise to see Scout after eight years of separation. She never blamed Scout for not coming back to see their mother. She remembered Scout’s fear and horror after seeing their mother overdose the first night she had been allowed to visit overnight eight years ago. Scout’s father had been angry at Mom and refused to allow Scout to visit anymore. David was a good person though. He had tried to get Frisk out CPS custody after the incident. 

Her mother’s plan had been simple. After Frisk was allowed back home, Diane simply moved. She had completed a detox program and had been clean for a couple of years after getting Frisk back. After she had relapsed, whenever she felt CPS was getting close to seizing Frisk again, she moved. Frisk had only been back in Ebott City for about three months when her mother died. 

Scout didn’t know all of this. When Frisk came home from school and saw her mother’s dead body, Frisk ran away. She wandered around the city and in her grief had found her way to Mt Ebott. She had spent the night outside watching the stars and found a great sense of peace listening to sounds of nature. At the crack of dawn, Frisk realized that there were no bathrooms on the mountain. After relieving herself in a bush, she was going to climb all the way to the top if she could. She tripped on some roots and after falling in a deep black hole, found herself on a huge bed of golden flowers. 

Frisk sat up from her bed, and looked for Toriel. She was still adjusting to calling Tori Mom, but Tori was the mother she had always wanted. She needed to talk to Scout about Toriel.

Toriel was in her usual reading chair, going over some documents.

“Mom, can I go for a walk in the Ruins?”

“Why Frisk?” asked Tori. 

“I just want to sit on the bed of flowers and think for a little while. Today was kind of a shock,” answered Frisk.

Toriel studied Frisk, Chara’s grave had become a meditation place for Frisk. She tended to go there if she needed a little alone time. Frisk took great care of the flowers whenever she visited. Frisk also seemed to think that Chara deserved some peace. 

Tori nodded, “You may, but only for an hour, it’s almost bedtime.”

“Thank you.”

Frisk was going to where Chara’s grave is, but she wanted to speak to Asriel. After transforming back into a flower, Frisk came at least once a week to keep Asriel company and to help care for Chara’s grave. Asriel always asked her to leave, but Frisk knew he always looked forward to these visits. Asriel had been the only person she had told of her mother’s horrible death. When she wanted to cry, he would let her without reservations or judgment. They had become good friends. Frisk knew that Mom wanted to move to the surface soon. She promised Asriel she would transplant him into a pot to go to their new home. Asriel needed to know about Scout.

Frisk quickly walked through the Ruins making her way to Asriel’s flower bed. Seeing Frisk, he poked his head out of the flowers.

“It’s late, Frisk. Go home and don’t come back.”

“You know I can’t and won’t do that Asriel,” smiled Frisk.

Asriel studied Frisk. He always told her to never come back here, she never listened. He didn’t want her around in case the madness came back. Although, with her frequent visits, he was never allowed to sink back into the despair that had turned him into the horrible Flowey. Frisk always did her best to show him that she at least, loved him. She said that was what a sister did properly. Frisk had mentioned having a sister and the bad circumstances that kept her apart from her sister. Asriel also knew that she hoped her sister would come for her.

“What’s wrong Frisk?”

“Would you believe me if I told you that I saw my older sister today?”

“No,” teased Asriel.

Frisk’s eyes became serious. “I did.”

Asriel’s flower face looked shocked, “How?”

“I don’t know all the details, but some of the folks on the surface saw her and thought we looked alike. I told them I had a missing half sister and they called her. They knew her full name. They called her to come and when we saw each other I knew beyond all doubt that it was my big sister, Scout.”

“Do you think she will want to take you away from us?”

“You sound as if you don’t want me to leave, Asriel,” Frisk teased.

Asriel sighed, “Truth Frisk, I don’t. You have become a real friend and sibling to me in ways that even Chara wasn’t. I still loved Chara though. I can’t feel love anymore, but if I could, I think I would love you as much as I did Chara. You don’t let me despair. You are always there when I need you to be. You have helped Mom out too. She still loves both myself and Chara, but she has been able to let go of her grief. I don’t want to see the pain on her face of losing another child.”

“If I asked you to help me tell my story of falling to the Underground and why I want to stay with Mom, would you help me?” asked Frisk. “It’s almost too much to tell on my own. Sans, well Sans doesn’t understand everything that happened as much as you do.” 

“He tries.”

“Yes, but you are an even bigger part of it than he is. Sans knows his part from his perspective. You know the whole awful, bloody, story. The same as me.”

“My first piece of advice is to not talk about SAVES and RESETS. My second is to not say anything about Asgore killing other children for their SOULS.”

“Will you help me?” Frisk’s voice was small.

Asriel did something he had never done before. He stretched out a leaf and brushed Frisk’s cheek with it. The only other time he had ever touched her was in his madness, and then he had meant to torture her. This time it was much closer to a brother brushing his sister’s cheek. Asriel realized how she had changed him for the better. 

“Of course.”

There was a brief clearing of a throat. Frisk and Asriel turned to the noise. It was Sans.

“It’s bedtime, Frisk,” was all Sans said.

 

Sans took Frisk back home. They talked on the way.

“How long have you known about Asriel?”

“Since the beginning. I watched him follow you as you journeyed through the Underground. I remember seeing him transform into his true self. I remember you SAVING him as you SAVED everyone. I have watched you help him remain Asriel and not turn back into Flowey even as his body transformed back.”

“Why haven’t you told anyone?”

“Tell them what? That Asriel is a SOUL-LESS flower? That all he really is anymore is a memory? That he can’t love what he used to anymore? That would be even more painful for Tori than the thought of Asriel being truly dead. You have rehabilitated him more that I had thought possible when I first saw you visit him. It’s enough. You and I can accept the reality of what he has become. Tori and Asgore can’t. It’s better for them to not know how he had been resurrected.”

“How did you find out about his resurrection?”

“After Alphys sent the amalgamates home, Tori asked me to raze that lab and destroy the research. I did it. But, I before I did so, I read Alphys’s research. I read how Flowey had been created. I even saw those awful tapes. It answered several questions I had before you came here.”

They were just outside Home.

“Listen, kid. We will talk about this more another time. Right now, though, it’s bedtime,” Sans looked at Frisk in a way that would harbor no argument. Frisk did what she was told. She went inside, took a bath and went to bed.


	7. Gin and Tonic

It was two-thirty in the afternoon. Grillby had been cleaning and polishing everything in the bar in preparation of the promotion that night. An older human walked in and sat at the bar close to the billiards tables. His hair was salt and pepper. He was dressed well in a black suit with no tie. He noted several of the drink lists. Grillby went up to the man. 

“What can I get for you,” asked Grillby handing him a food menu. 

“I see that you have Guinness stout on tap,” his voice was deep pitched with an accent Grillby couldn’t place offhand.

“We do.”

“I’ll have a pint of that, please,” said the human.

Grillby nodded. Now that he thought about it the accent was British.

“British style or American?”

The man smiled, “If it’s at a proper temperature, I’ll pay twice as much. Ice cold kills the flavor.”

Grillby smiled and pulled a pint of beer from a tap. He served it with a slight bow to human. 

“Thank you,” said the human, sipping slowly. The stout was perfect.

“Anything else for now?” 

“What would it take to start a tab? I’m going to be here for a few hours.”

“I’ll take your credit or debit card. I’ll cash out the tab as you leave for the night.”

The human smiled. He reached into a pocket and pulled out billfold and handed Grillby a credit card. Grillby took the card, made several notations and handed it back. The concept of credit and debit cards were new to Grillby. It was something he had learned about after moving to the surface world. Humans didn’t like to carry paper money or coins much anymore. After he had had gotten used to the idea of electronic money transfer, he had to admit credit and debit cards were a lot more convenient that cash. Still, as a businessman, he found some of the merchant fees exorbitant. If he wasn’t trying to attract human business, he would have stuck to a cash only policy. Still, monsters were grateful that he took both monster gold and human paper money. 

“May I ask a question,” said the human.

“Depends on the question,” replied Grillby. 

“I see two different currencies in your menu. What currencies do you accept?”

“I accept coins from the Kingdom of Monsters as well as American dollars.”

“Why monster coins?”

“Most of my patrons are monsters, right now. Some have not had the opportunity to exchange their money into the common currency that humans use. I accept both for those who have converted to dollars and for those who are new to the surface world.” 

“Monsters have cleaned up this part of town well. It was only a year or so ago that most people considered this part of town a cesspool.”

Grillby sighed. “We are working on it. When we first came out of our mountain a year ago, this was about the only part of town humans would sell to us. We have cleaned up and restored what we have been able to for the past several months. Some places we are still working on as we buy the buildings.”

“Do you own the building?”

“I do.”

“You’ve done a good job.”

“Thank you.”

The doorbell rang and Sans walked in, with Frisk.

“Excuse me,” Grillby said and walked to the other side of the bar where Sans and Frisk made themselves comfortable. He handed Sans a bottle of ketchup and gave Frisk a glass of cola.

“Turn up the radio, Grillbz,” said Frisk. “I want to hear Scout.”

Grillby smiled at the child and turned up the radio. Scouts voice was purring into the microphone. 

“And so, my loyal listeners, as I head out the door to let Blooky take over. I will once again remind you that tonight I will be broadcasting live from Grillby’s on the corner of Center and First avenue. Come on down and meet some of the nicest people you will ever meet. Enjoy some of Grillby’s fine cooking. Dance the night away. Let me show just how much monsters have cleaned up that part of town to one of the nicest neighborhoods in town! Mett and Blooky will also be there as part of our station promotion! This is the Scout and I am closing with a triple play of Maroon 5. Although, I will make a side note that Mick Jagger got all his moves from Tina Turner. Thus the song should be Moves Like Tina. Goodnight!”

The human laughed. “She’s right. Mick Jagger did get all his moves from Tina Turner.”

Frisk began to chat to the skeleton next to her. They chatted amicably about school and other goings on. 

There was a bit of a clatter at the front door. They heard some shouting as a large black van parked in front of Grillby’s. It was clearly for the radio broadcast as Scout exited the passenger seat and walked into Grillby’s. Grillby smiled at Scout as she walked in. 

“You’re earlier than I expected. They haven’t even finished your broadcast yet.”

Scout smiled. “I had actually recorded the second half of the show yesterday. Since after one I don’t take many requests, I can record part of a broadcast to get things packed up for a live show. Usually pre-recorded broadcasts are used during holidays, so most folks can have a day off. Then we only need an intern or two to make sure the recordings don’t have any problems.”

“Makes sense,” commented Sans.

Frisk smiled and jumped out of her seat to give Scout a hug.

“Are you staying for the show,” asked Scout.

“Tori won’t let me, but Sans said we could come for a little bit to see you,” replied Frisk. 

“Well, if you turn on your TV at six and ten, you should be able to see me do a couple of quick TV spot ads. Turn on your radio after eight, I’ll be live on the radio from eight until midnight.”

Frisk smiled, “I will.”

Scout turned to Grillby. “Is there a back or side door we can use to get our equipment in?”

Grillby smiled. He lead Scout to a side door by the dance floor that could be opened while Scout and her tech crew could get set up. Scout and her crew busied themselves setting up tables and equalizers and various equipment that seemed arcane to Grillby. 

The human at the bar finished his pint of beer. Grillby quickly went to him. 

“Would you like another?”

“Yes, please and could you send a gin and tonic to the young lady plugging in radio equipment,” the human smiled. 

Grillby hesitated for half a second. He nodded and proceeded to hand the man another pint while he mixed a drink for Scout. He wondered if the human knew Scout.

Scout was plugging in a laptop computer and was about to boot it up when Grillby passed by her with her drink.

“A gentleman at the bar asked me to give you this,” Grillby said.

Scout looked up sharply. “Thank you,” she said to Grillby.

“Take a five minute break, guys,” she said to her crew.

Scout had a wry smile as she walked up to the gentleman at the bar.

“I told you I was working until Sunday,” was all she said.

“I decided not to wait,” said the English gentleman. “I decided to do a bit of research while you work.”

“Well, now that you see for a fact that I’m working, keep the rest of my drinks non-alcoholic.”

“No time to chat with your dear old Dad?”

“Maybe in an hour or so, but right now, I’m trying to get stuff ready.”

“Is that Frisk I see at the other end of the bar?”

“It is, and don’t get any clever ideas while my back is turned, Dad.”

“May I at least say hello to her? I have invested quite a bit in trying to help you find her.”

Scout walked over to Frisk.

“Frisk, come here a second?”

Frisk went to Scout.

“Go say hello to my dad,” was all Scout said.

Scout went back to the equipment she was setting up. Grillby went to speak to her.

“Who is that,” Grillby whispered.

“It’s okay, it’s my father.”

Grillby raised his eyebrows, “He moves fast, doesn’t he.”

“I told him not to come until Sunday afternoon. Then again, Dad tends to do what he thinks is right, not necessarily what people want him to do.”

“Will this complicate things for tonight?”

“No. All my father will do is make observations. Have a few drinks, shoot billiards for a while, possibly dance, but mostly wait for me. Dad must think it’s urgent to be waiting here, instead of waiting at my apartment.”

Scout began to plug in microphones into a switchboard. As she did so, Frisk shouted, “Sans, come here, I have someone to introduce you to.”

Sans went to Frisk. “Sans, this is David Martins, he is Scouts father. David, this is Sans Serif, he has been my personal guard and mentor since I fell into the Underground.”

Sans shook hands with David. He began his own observation of the human. Sans noted his eyes were sharp like Scouts. 

“A pleasure to meet you,” came David’s soft British accent.

“Likewise,” replied Sans. They smiled at each other in a way that spoke more than words. David was watching Sans as Sans was watching David. 

Forgotten was Grillby. Grillby stayed silent as he let David and Sans try to out think each other. This was what Grillby actually preferred. He liked it best when he was allowed to fade into the background and pounce when people least expected him to. The only person still observing him was Scout. They smiled at each other silently and let the other two play their mind game


	8. Billiards

Scout finished her drink and went back to work. She turned on her laptop. She tested the microphones and the sound system. She then put on a head set and began speaking into a specific mic. 

“This is the Scout to the Pink Panther, can you hear me?”

Wincing she went to a control board and began to make adjustments.

“How about now?”

More adjustments.

“Now?” 

“Good… I’ll start the simulcast at about five-thirty… Yes, Mett I know you will have a TV crew filming too… OK… see you at six… Bye!”

Scout turned the mic off and removed the headset. She then made some minute adjustments and turned on the laptop she had brought with her. After making some quick checks she went to go sit with her father and Frisk.

“Damn, Ham, I had forgotten just how technical modern radio is.” David said to his daughter.

“Most people never know the technical side. They want to listen to the radio.”

“Ham?” Frisk said in confusion.

“So long as you are not calling me Spam we are good.”

David burst out laughing. He knew Scout was referring to a Monty Python skit. Sans, Frisk, and Grillby looked at Scout with confusion. 

“You explain, Dad.”

David explain his nickname for Scout and the Monty Python joke. He pulled out his phone and showed them the skit.

Sans and Grillby were still confused.

“But what is Spam?” asked Grillby.

“It’s tinned pork meat. It’s a little like ham but you are never quite sure what cuts of pork you are getting. The original meat is very salty. People who don’t like it usually say it’s because of the salt and spice combination. Scout here never liked Spam. For a time, when my parents where little, it was one of the readily available meats,” replied David. 

“Speaking of my parents, Scout, they told me to tell you that they want a Christmas visit. Granny is getting insistent.”

“I just saw Granddad and Gran before I left England. Granny is never happy unless I see her weekly.”

“Well, you know how Granny is with you. Aunt Sarah is trying to put her in a home again.”

“Sarah won’t be happy until Granny, Gran and Granddad are dead. Even then she will be plotting against Uncle Dan.”

“I keep forgetting how many relatives you still have in England, Scout,” said Frisk.

“One of these days, you need to come with me. Granddad and Gran ask about you a lot, Frisk. Granny would be delighted to have another youngster to have tea with. With the exception of my cousin Mark, none of my Aunt Sarah’s children visit her much. She gets lonely.”

“Why don’t they visit your grandmother?”

“Granny is my great-grandmother. A few years ago property developers tried to buy the pub for a pretty sweet price. Sarah cut off contact after Granddad wouldn’t sell his pub. It’s been in the family for two hundred years and survived World War II. I honestly don’t think he would know what to do if he just up and sold the family business. He’s been working there since he was younger than you. So has my Uncle Dan. Sarah thinks of the pub as a relic and should be sold off. She has always been a social climber. She doesn’t like people to know that she worked as a barmaid as a girl.”

David laughed, “That has always been her problem. Sarah always wanted people to think the was was a titled Lady. She always hated coming from humble roots.” 

“These language variations have me confused,” confessed Sans.

“If you think the variations between British and American English are bad, you should hear my Granny. She is from Scotland. Scots English and American English are worse since there is quite a bit of Scots Gaelic in common usage. To the untrained and unfamiliar ear, it sounds like two different languages until you get used to it,” said Scout. “Frisk, you should show him the movie Shrek. It’s a cartoon, but Shrek uses a very basic Scottish accent. That’s the very beginning of understanding Scots.”

“Tip of the iceberg, really,” added David.

“Anyways, back to work for me.” said Scout. She went to the van in the back and checked with the van crew to see of all the uplinks for broadcast were correct. After she did that she pulled out a garment bag and took it inside along with a small duffle bag. Being that she was going to be on TV and doing spot interviews with Grillby’s patrons, she needed to look the part. She also had to be sure her makeup was good for the camera. She checked her watch. It was only four. She had some time before she had to get ready. She went to her DJ station and began to play some music. For the time she started a long track of soothing light jazz and piano music. She went to the chair next to her father and placed the garment bag and small duffle in it. Grillby handed Scout a steaming cup of tea. She smiled her thanks and sipped it. 

“Hungry?” he asked.

“No, not right now. I probably won’t be until after the broadcast itself is over. There is something about doing public events that scares the willies out of me. After the broadcast is done I can hide in the DJ booth.”

“Don’t lie, Scout,” teased David. “You love being in the public eye.”

“I love the anonymity of being on the radio. I hate the publicity of TV.”

“You could have gone to law school instead, you know. No one told you to major in communications.”

“This world does not need another snake in the grass, Dad.”

“I don’t know how many times I’ve told you that the majority of the profession are decent people. It’s all the adverts you see on telly that make you think otherwise.”

“And plenty of people bilking millions of dollars for simple things like cups of coffee. No thanks. I may not like every part of my job, but for the most part I love it.”

“No job is ever perfect,” Grillby said softly.

“Never mind,” said David. He stood up and walked to a billiard table. “Tell me Scout, have you forgotten all I have taught you about billiards?”

“I can still kick your ass, Dad,’ Scout fired back.

His smile became teasing, “Show me.”

“Eight or nine ball?”

“Eight.”

“Set it up.”

Grillby quickly checked on his patrons. He wanted to see this. David set up the table for a game of eight ball. Scout picked out a stick and set up for the break shot. She applied chalk to the stick and once the board was set up studied the table. When David nodded at Scout she took aim and broke the balls. After she pocketed a solid first David called out to her. “Solids.” Scout nodded back and began to study the table in front of her and the shot possibilities. After she pocketed four more solids, she had run out of shots and made a shot that would be difficult to pocket anything easily. She went to her chair and took a long sip of her tea as David took his turn.

David circled the table several times as he studied it. Scout was a damn good billiards player. She could have gone professional if she had wanted to. Of all the possible careers Scout could have had, he never thought she had been serious about the radio until she had gotten her first job. He smiled faintly, Scout was always big on surprises. Damn, she had given him a stalemate. Knowing he had no shot, returned the favor of another safety and put the cue where he thought she also didn’t have a shot. If she even tried, she might well lose the game by prematurely banking the eight ball.

Scout smiled at the table her father had given her. The one thing she always told her father that he tended to forget was that you can’t play billiards shot by shot. You had to think two or three shots down the line. He thought he had her cornered. She could get the ball out and not even touch the eight ball. In fact, if she played this just right, after she pocketed her next ball she could finish the game and not give any shots back to her father. It had to be hit precisely. An error would give him back the game. She surprised the onlookers by holding the stick almost vertically and with a hard punch she skipped the ball over the eight ball and sent another solid into a pocket. Eyebrows raised. After that she made quick clean up of the rest of the solids pocketing the eight ball last. She raised her eyebrows at her father. 

“You lose,” was all she said. An alarm went off on her phone. “Frisk, let my father teach you how to play. I need to get ready.”

“Who taught you to play like that?” asked Grillby.

“My dad, who is trying to figure out how I beat him, taught me the basics of shooting as well as the rules for eight, nine and ten ball. When I was in college, because of the timing of some of my classes, I would go to the cafeteria for meals as I waited. There was a table there. I would play and learn from a bunch of different people as I ate and waited for my classes. Mostly, though an ex-boyfriend taught me some shooting variations as well as trick shots,” replied Scout. She picked her garment bag and the duffle bag. “Where is the ladies room?”

Grillby pointed Scout in the direction of the ladies room. He shook his head and began to check on all the other patrons of the bar. 

“You look rather confused,” said David.

Grillby shrugged, “I am. A little. I guess I am trying to understand who Scout is as a person.”

“Scout’s simple. She’s Scout. She does as she wishes at all times and is a little unpredictable. Mostly, she’s young. I’m not sure if she knows what she wants half the time. She’ll grow out of it.”

Grillby didn’t say anything. His question still wasn’t answered. He had a feeling that not even her father understood Scout much.


	9. Live From Grillby's

Scout quickly changed from the slacks she had been wearing into a dress that that would be appropriate for television. She made sure she had her microphone for the camera tucked inside her dress. She pulled out the control unit and strapped it onto her calf. She would plug in the mic later. She then began to apply her makeup for the camera. It would look strange on real life, but would look perfect on camera. Really, Scout hated wearing make up. It always felt fake on her skin. She brushed out her hair and doing a quick check on her appearance as well as grabbing her things she walked out of the ladies room. 

 

As Scout was changing in the ladies room, Mettaton and a camera crew arrived. Mettaton started checking all of Scout’s hook ups and links. Nodding approvingly, He set up a small table and added promotional items for both the TV station in addition to the radio station. Mett looked up when Scout walked out of the ladies room. He gestured for her to come over where he was so he could start the lighting and sound checks for television. Most of the time the camera crew was to observe the bar itself as the night went on, but Scout was also going to be asking questions of Grillby as well as his patrons. Since some of the shots where going to be candid Scout needed to look her best.

Grillby noted that the bar was starting to fill up early as both monsters and humans began to get out of work. He was glad he had already asked for all of his employees to on hand for the busy night.

Mettaton checked his monitors as he did the lighting and color check for the live TV spots that Scout was starting in just twenty minutes. It was almost showtime. 

Scout plugged in the mic to the wireless controller strapped to her calf. She did a quick sound check receiving a thumbs up from Mett. She was getting nervous. Frisk and Sans came up to Scout. 

“We have to go Scout,” Frisk said. Scout nodded and gave Frisk a hug. 

“Don’t forget to tune in at eight,” Scout kissed Frisk on the cheek. 

David stood up, “I had better go too, since it looks like you’ll be as busy as hell. Brunch tomorrow, Ham?”

“I’m still working,” answered Scout. “How about an early dinner?”

“Ring me,” was all he said.

Grillby came up to Scout. “I had no idea that this was going to be controlled chaos, Miss Scout.”

Scout smiled at Grillby, “It is when we get started. It will settle down once the camera crew goes away. Come here, I need to have them do a lighting check on you.”

The camera crew made some lighting adjustments once Grillby was onscreen. Scout picked up one her mics and plugged in an earpiece.

“Ready?” she asked. 

Grillby was suddenly nervous.

“Welcome, Ebott City. We are live from Grillby’s...”

 

It was well after closing. After Scout had began the TV spots on the news show, the bar had become packed. Under Mettaton’s direction, after Scout’s TV spots the camera crew had become unobtrusive and filmed several clips of Grillby’s guests in candid shots enjoying themselves. Once the camera was off of her she had masterfully gotten both the humans and monsters to stay and both eat and drink the rest of their night. Once the radio broadcast was finished everyone was having too good a time to leave. Grillby had noted a subtle change in the music once it was an hour away from closing the music had gone from being boisterous to much calmer. At close he had no problem getting his patrons to leave. 

Scout had wilted in a chair by the bar. As tired as he was, he also remembered she had not eaten a thing. He quickly went to the back and got her a meal. He placed it and a cup of tea in front of her. 

She smiled tiredly at Grillby. “Thanks.” She began to eat. 

“Your job is pretty tiring when you do these promotions, isn’t it.”

“Exhausting. Mett would have me do this weekly, if he could, but it’s way too tiring.”

“What happens next?”

Scout smiled, “I am going home and going to bed. When I wake up, I’ll review and edit the clips and write Sunday’s interview. Want to come down to the studio see the show production and help me write that interview? You might learn something about part of what I do.”

“I don’t think I’ll be able to crawl out of my own bed until nine in the morning at the earliest...”

“Good God, me neither. I was thinking about one in the afternoon.”

Grillby thought. He was going to let his managers handle the next days operations. It would be fun to see Scout’s behind the scenes work.

“Where shall we meet?”

“How about here. Most people can’t find the studio even when they search, so I can guide you in.”

“One it is then. Now, let me walk you home. It’s too late to walk by yourself. Like I said, your building is still in a rough block.”

Scout smiled. “Sure.”

They walked together towards Scout’s building.

“Doesn’t Mettaton pay you enough to move into a nicer building?”

“He does, but I’m stuck in a lease agreement, so I can’t leave until it runs out.”

“How much longer on the lease?”

“Four more months. If someone buys the building, I might stay. This is quickly becoming a hot part of town. If no one does, though, I’ll have to move out.”

“What about Frisk? Do you have enough room for both of you?”

Scout frowned. She didn’t, now that she thought about it. It was just one more thing Scout would need to think about if she took over Frisk’s custody.

“That’s one more thing to add to my pile of worries.”

“It needs to be thought about. You can’t take over her custody unless you can provide for her.”

Scout’s face became troubled. “Honestly there is a lot to go through. I never expected it to be so problematic taking Frisk home with me. Our mother is dead and Frisk didn’t have anywhere else to go, as far as I knew,”

Grillby decided it was best to let it go for now. Scout was tired and decisions could not be made in a rush. They approached the old Dowd building. 

“Think about it some,” was all Grillby said. He stopped in front of the building and bowed graciously to Scout. “Until tomorrow, my Lady.”

“Good night.”

With that Scout rushed inside her building and up to her run down apartment.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to comment.


End file.
